Track-fastening



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- F- TIL GHAST. TRACK ENNG.

Patented June 8,1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

ISAAC F. TILLlNGHAST, OF LA PLUME, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRACK-FAST'NING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,248, dated une 8, 189'?.

Application led August 19, 1896- Selil N0- 603,262| (NO model-l To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that l, lsAAo F. TILLINGHAST, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Plume, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Track-Fastening, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in track-fastenings.

The object of the present invention is the preservation of ordinary wooden cross -ties and to protect the face of the cross-tie and prevent it from being cut, worn, and weakened at the point where the rail crosses it and is ordinarily spiked to it, and to obviate the necessity of spiking a rail at this point.

A further object of the invention is to retain a rail in its horizont-al position and prevent it from becoming tipped or canted, as a rail when inclined out of its proper position is soon destroyed by car-wheels.

Another object of the invention is to prevent rails from creeping or slipping ahead in hot weather when the slack is taken up by the natural expansion of the metal and to secure the greatest possible safety and immunity from accidents by securely fastening the rails in position.

A further object of the invention is to provide for protecting cross-ties a plate which, while possessing maximum strength, durability, and lightness,will possess a form that will enable it to be readily rolled from iron or steel at a minimum cost of production.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a track provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of one side of the track, illustrating the manner of clamping a rail in position. Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the manner of securing. a rail when the clamps are not employed. Fig. 4c is asectional view taken transversely of one of the cross-ties. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a portion of one of the plates. Fig. 6 is a similar view of one of the clamps.

Lilie numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

l designates a plate constructed of suitable metal arranged on the upper face of a crosstie 2 and interposed between the same and rails 3, whereby the cross tie is protected and is prevented from being worn, cut, or otherwise injured by the rails. The plate l, which is preferably rolled from iron or steel and which is substantially I-shaped in crosssection, consists of a central fiat body por tion a and longitudinal side ribs 5, projecting from the upper and lower faces of the central body portion 4 and forming longitudinal depressions or recesses in the upper and lower faces of the plate. The ribs,wl1ich are adapted to settle inthe upper face of the crosstie to obtain a firm seat on the same, have blunt lower edges, whereby they are adapted to support the body of the plate above the upper face of the cross-tie. The upper portions of the ribs are provided at opposite ends of the plate with recesses 6, forming seats for the rails. The recesses 6 are provided, preferably, at their inner ends with straight vertical shoulders and have undercut or inclined outer shoulders which are adapted to engage the adjacent portions of the bottom flanges of the rails to assist in retaining them in their seats. These seats 6 prevent the rails from spreading and form a perfect gage.

The rails are preferably secured in the seats of the plate l by a pair of clamps 7, preferably substantially L-shaped, and consist of horizontal base portions and upwardly-extending arms engaging the opposite faces of and conforming to the configuration of a rail, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanyingdrawings. These clamps provide effective braces for supporting the rails, and their horizontal portions are oppositely beveled at 8 and iit snugly in the depression or recess at the upper face of the plate between the ribs 5, whereby they are securely fastened to the plate by a single fastening device 9, which consists of a bolt. The outer edges of the longitudinal side flanges are pref- IOO erably rounded and their inner edges are oppositely beveled. These clamps are adapted to afford a firm support for the rails and are especially advantageous for use on curves,

where the rails are subjected to great lateral strain.

The plate is provided at intervals with perforations for the reception of fastening devices for securing it to a cross-tie, and the fastening devices, which may consist of spikes or bolts, are arranged a sufficient distance from the rails to locate them at a firm solid portion of the cross-tie, and the plate obvia-tes the necessity of spiking or similarly securing the rails adjacent to the weakenedportion of the cross-tie. y

The plates are designed to be applied` to ordinary wooden cross-ties after the lattprt have been in use, in order to enable a crosstie, after it has become worn, to be still further used and to avoid the expense of discarding cross-ties and supplying new ones. It has been found by experience that a crosstie is worn or cut adjacent to the rails, and is thereby weakened to too great an extent to admit of spiking a rail to it long before the wood is decayed, and in applying the plate to such cross-ties the latter are preferably turned over to bring theirlower faces uppermost.

It is unnecessary to supply each of the cross-ties of a pair of rails with a plate 1, as two of such. plates to a pair of rails will be sufficient to provide a iirm support for the rails, and the intermediate cross-ties may be provided with short plates 10, interposed between the rails and the cross-ties, to prevent the latter from being cut or worn by the vibration of the rails. The rails are preferably secured to these short plates by staples 11, disposed longitudinally of a cross-tie and having their arms 12 passed through perforations of the plates 10 from the bottom thereof. The arms 12 of the staples are provided at their upper ends with projections 13 at their upper edges and shouldered at their lower edges in order to enable them to spring readily into engagement with the bottom flanges of a rail and obtain a iirm hold on the same.

It will be seen that the plate is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, that it possesses great strength, durability, and lightness, and that it is capable of being readily applied to worn cross-ties and of preserving them, to avoid discarding such Worn cross-ties and enable them to be retained in eis What I kclaim iscombination of a metal plate substantially I- shaped in cross-section, designed to be interposed between a wooden cross-tie and a rail and consisting of a flat central body portion and side ribs projecting above and below the central body portion and .forming upper and lower depressions or recesses, the upper ribs being recessed to provide railseats and the lwer ribs having blunt lower edges adapted to rest upon the upper face of a cross-tie, whereby the central body portion of the plate is supported above the upper face of the crosstie, and means for securing the rails in the seats, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a plate substantially Lshaped in cross-section constructed of metal, de signed to be interposed between a wooden cross-tie and a rail, and consisting of a dat central portion and longitudinal side ribs eX- tending above and below the central portion of the plate and having their inner edges bevcled, said ribs being provided, at the upper face of the plate, with recesses forming railseats, and clamps mounted ,on the plate, adapted to engage the opposite faces of a rail to support and secure the same to the plate, and having their lower portions oppositely beveled and fitting into the upper recess or depression of the plate, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a plate constructed of metal, designed to be interposed between a wooden cross-tie and a rail and consisting of a fiat central body portion, and longitudinal side ribs extending above the central portion of the plate and provided with recesses forming rail-seats, and clamps mounted on the plate, adapted to engage the opposite face of the rail to support and secure the same to the plaie and having their lower portions tting in the recess or depression formed by the said longitudinal ribs, substantially as described.

, In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC F. TILLIN GHAST.

lVitnesses:

JOHN I-I. SIGGnRs,

use until the Wood decays.

HAROLD H. SIMMs.

1. In a device of the class described, the

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